And Mara Makes Three
by SkywalkerChild
Summary: Sequel to "Love's Dress Rehearsal": An inside look at Mara's up bringing, and how Vader was involved
1. He Thinks He'll Keep Her

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. No money is being made off the posting of this story. Chapter One title c/o Mary Chapin Carpenter

Rating: PG, just to be on the safe side

Author's Note: A sequel to _Love's Dress Rehearsal_. To answer some reviewers of that story, yes I know what making Mara Anakin's daughter means.

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And Mara Makes Three  
Chapter One: He Thinks He'll Keep Her

In his past life, Anakin Skywalker might have been thrilled, and a bit anxious, to meet the toddler he had given to a more suitable father two years before. But in his current life, Darth Vader had only a hole of apathy where paternal affection should have been.

None the less, the small red-haired child walked into the conference room without fear; her tiny, pudgy hand wrapped by the wrinkled, bony hand of the Emperor. The tall man in the black armor and cape did not make her nervous or anxious; she viewed him as a new playmate, or perhaps teacher.

"Lord Vader, I would like you to meet Mara Jade." Palpatine's voice warbled a bit. "She has been a very apt student, even at such a young age."

The little girl wobbled over to the imposing man. Vader watched her tentative steps, amazed at how such a small person could resemble her mother so much already. In his past life, he might have shed a tear for his lost love. In this new life, he merely filed the fact away.

"Hello, Mara," he rasped, his voice deep and breathy through the mask. Mara's green eyes went wide, but she continued to walk towards him, albeit it more slowly. She carefully maneuvered around chairs and tables. Even in such a small child, the Force rippled and pulsed, searching for training and control.

When she finally reached him, Vader extended his gloved hand. Those tiny, pudgy fingers took firm hold of one of his fingers, and the green eyes and red hair smiled up at him.

"Hi," she stated, her voice friendly and curious. "What's your name?"

__

Articulate, he thought, and found himself almost smiling underneath his mask. "Darth Vader," he answered, the name still sounding odd to his own ears. Something inside him begged for correction, urging him to say 'No, my name is Anakin and I'm a person.' But Darth Vader did not listen to such a weak voice.

Across the room, the Emperor smiled and Vader could sense that he was pleased that the child had liked her true father instantly. Perhaps the little girl knew there was more to the man whose finger she held so tightly than metal, plastic and wires. Perhaps she knew that underneath it all lay the man who had helped to give her life.

"Although she is my padawan," the Emperor said, "you will train her when I cannot."

__

Two padawans? The Jedi in Vader wanted to protest, to remind the Emperor that he could not take on two students. Vader had never completed the Trials as the weak man of Anakin Skywalker. He wondered if his fall into the lava pit equaled them.

"I sense your confusion, my young apprentice," Palpatine said, slowly crossing the room to where father and daughter held hands. Mara's eyes turned towards the Emperor; she was hypnotized by his presence. "You have no need for pitiful Jedi Trials now, Lord Vader. By accepting the ways of the Sith, you became more powerful than any Jedi test could promise." 

Palpatine sighed, sinking into the chair at the head of the conference table. "Mara will be a great asset to us during the coming years. She will have great anonymity; people often notice and then promptly ignore small children." The Emperor's face cracked, and Vader realized the man was smiling. "As she matures, her beauty will deliver answers to many questions." Another ragged breath, and the Emperor looked up to Vader. "What say you, Lord Vader? Shall we train Mara Jade to become a fit and able Sith?"

__

As if I could say no, a small voice inside Vader responded. The Sith lord promptly squished the sarcasm. "Yes, my master."


	2. Behind the Smile

Disclaimer: George Lucas owns _Star Wars_; Timothy Zahn owns Mara Jade. No money is being made off their use. Chapter Two title c/o Matthew Sweet.

Rating: PG

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And Mara Makes Three  
Chapter Two: Behind the Smile

It was amazing how quickly children could grow. It seemed like ages since the Empire had been founded; in reality, it had only been three years. Yet watching Mara walk around, five years old and full of ideas and questions, seemed impossible.

Vader stood on the bridge of one the Empire's many Star Destroyers. Another planet, somewhere out on the edge of nowhere, was still having delusions of freedom. Perhaps the news had never reached them about the corruption and delinquency in the former Republic. No matter, Lord Vader would show them the error of their ways.

"Lord Vader?" asked a man from behind him. Vader tried to sigh, but his mask regulated his breath for him. In two steps, the man in black turned around and looked down at the captain who had interrupted his thoughts.

"My lord, I was asked to inform you that Mistress Jade has just awoken from her nap. She has been fed, but she is under the impression that you are going to be training her today."

Vader smiled beneath his heavy mask. She had an incredible memory, for someone so small and innocent. He hoped she would maintain that memory as she became more useful to him. 

__

And the Emperor, he reminded himself. 

"Very well, Captain. Have Mistress Jade escorted to my exercise room, and make sure she cannot reach _any_ of the weapons."

The man nodded curtly. "Yes sir, thank you."

Vader turned back towards the viewport for a brief moment. Mara had much to learn before their arrival at the Rim. Turning quickly on his heel, he left the bridge. The men in his path scurried to get out of his way. No one ever knew if he was just in a hurry, or was genuinely angry. Vader liked it that way.

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Mara climbed up on the railing, looking out towards the planet. Vader wanted her to understand that brute force was sometimes the best way to get an idea or opinion across. This planet, the name of which Vader hadn't even bothered to learn, was not important enough to be worth saving. It would serve as a good example to other upstarts, although that number shrank every day.

"Can I give the order?" she asked, eyes still fixed on the red and blue ball that hung before them. Vader could easily hide his surprise, but couldn't quench the pride that flared up briefly.

"Not this time, Mara," he rasped, so impressed that she had not flinched since the first moment they had met. Grown men were often shaken by his voice. "You should stay close by, however; watch how quickly this government comes to our side."

With the wave of a hand, a young man began flipping switches and turning dials. The hum of the ship got louder, and Mara started to turn herself over the railing, trying to see the weapon itself warming up. Vader wished he could have laughed.

A red beam suddenly shot out from underneath the ship, startling Mara so much that she almost fell onto the deck. The beam scorched through the planet's atmosphere, and made a great hole in the middle of the central continent. Vader wished he could have heard the sounds of rock and trees exploding. He wanted to see the looks on people's faces as the beam came down towards them.

"Lord Vader," the captain said from across the bridge. "The planetary government wishes to negotiate their entrance into the Empire."

Vader turned toward the young girl, whose eyes were wide with fascination and just a dash of horror. "Was anyone hurt?" she whispered, afraid someone nearby would think she was weak.

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Mara. Our goal was achieved." 

She nodded, and then smiled her little girl smile. That smile always seemed a little too knowing. "Good."


	3. Baby Seat

Disclaimer: Either George Lucas or Timothy Zahn owns these characters. Chapter three title c/o Barenaked Ladies.

Rating: PG

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And Mara Makes Three  
Chapter Three: Baby Seat

Her ten-year-old hands wrapped tightly around the metal cylinder, Mara made a few tentative strokes through the air. The red blade hummed and crackled quietly, burning the oxygen it passed through. Slipping her finger onto the button, she turned the blade off and smiled.

"An impressive weapon," the Emperor said, opening his hand and calling the lightsabre to him. Mara gasped as the weapon leapt from her hand and then settled neatly into Palpatine's palm. "Lord Vader gave you excellent instructions."

She nodded and a long section of red hair sliding in front of her face. Her right hand, scarred from practice sessions with droids and her other master, came up quickly to tuck the hair neatly behind her ear. "He would not let me work on it except in his presence." She frowned. "I do not think he trusted me to do it correctly."

Palpatine smiled, and Mara had to repress a shiver. It was truly the only thing in her life that caused her discomfort.

"Lord Vader trusts no one, my young apprentice. Perhaps he thought you would sever a limb by testing it too early." A wave of Palpatine's hand sent the lightsabre back towards Mara and settled it onto her belt. "It is complete now; do not ever let it out of your sight."

The young girl nodded gravely, knowing she had been dismissed.

****

Vader stepped to one side as a small streak of blue lightning came towards him. It hit the wall, leaving a large black scorch mark in the steel of the Emperor's palace. Immediately, a small cleaning droid came to polish the wall clean.

With a thought, Vader lifted his assailant off the ground, binding her arms and legs with thickened air. She struggled, looking down at the ground nearly six feet below her, and then leveled wild green eyes on him.

"Put…me…down," she gasped, the air thickening around her face.

"You do _not_ take action against me, Mara Jade. I am more powerful than you could possibly imagine, and more powerful than you will ever be."

He let go of her restraints and watched as she tumbled to the ground. To the child's credit, she rolled and recovered from the incident quite well, although her breathing was still heavy.

"Emperor Palpatine had said that I _would_ be going to the dinner tonight, that I was to acquire information about Senator Organa." Her tone bordered on whining, but she kept her voice even. Despite the outburst a moment before, Vader once again found himself impressed by the mature child.

"Plans change, Mara. Tonight you will spend meditating on ways to improve yourself as the young Sith that you are."

Outraged, Mara stormed off towards her quarters. Vader wished he could have grinned.

****

Vader had not been certain what to expect when he arrived at the girl's quarters. Her presence in the Force had been ebbing and flowing all evening, but the crescendo it had reached just moments before had issued a stern look from the Emperor. Lord Vader was glad for the excuse to leave the dinner. Politics had never been his strong suit.

What the should-be father found was a room in shambles. Bed linens had been torn and scorched; vases and lamps had been thrown against walls and turned into dust. Mirrors and furniture lay neatly split in two, the edges neatly shorn by a new lightsabre.

He almost didn't sense her attack from above. Vader lifted one hand, stopping her lightsabre and her body from falling any farther. With the flick of his wrist, he sent her towards her broken bed, rather than against the wall that he had initially intended.

"I see you have found your anger," he said as Mara picked herself up off the destroyed piece of furniture. "Harness it, and direct it towards your foes. There are greater foes than I, Mara Jade; you will meet them soon enough. Do not destroy those who can help you."

He pivoted on his heel and left her quarters, locking the door behind him. 


	4. Nothing Special

Disclaimer: Either George Lucas or Timothy Zahn owns the characters used in this story. Chapter Four title c/o Duncan Sheik. No infringement intended in either case.

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And Mara Makes Three  
Chapter Four: Nothing Special

Mara entered the room quietly, matching her pace to the Corellian senator's. Standing as close as she was to the older man, the guards assumed she was one of his lackeys and did not spare her a second glance. The blonde wig had apparently been sufficient disguise.

The party was well under way. Almost every first-seat senator stood or sat in the large ballroom, quietly making deals or genuinely enjoying themselves. No one noticed the blonde young woman who wove through the crowd.

One of the waiters eyed Mara appraisingly, a small smile flickering onto his lips. She knew she had developed much faster than most human females; her curves suggested she was sixteen, perhaps older. But underneath the blonde wig was still a thirteen-year-old girl who was just a little afraid to be on such an important mission.

Finally, she spotted him. The senator from Alderaan had impossibly black hair for a man his age. Bail Organa smiled pleasantly, genuinely at everyone he talked to, laughing occasionally at the jokes he was told. The Emperor had told her to go talk to the senator, and so Mara took a deep breath and walked towards him.

"Senator Organa? Would you like another drink?" she asked, her voice lower than one might have expected. She batted her eyelashes at him and his smile grew a bit.

"No thank you, miss." He paused, pulling a single credit chip out of his pocket. "But you remind me very much of my daughter, although she's a few years younger than you." 

She pocketed the chip and, thanking the generous man profusely, slowly backed away. She looked around and then ducked out onto the balcony, facing east. Reaching out with her Force-senses, she began to listen for the senator's voice and tried to determine what he was up to. 

"You can't be serious, Bail," a woman said, her tone hushed, a bit scared. "Palpatine was perfectly within his limits; he still is."

"Dooku has been dead for years; no one has attacked the Republic since. Why must he still hold all the power? Why do we still need an army?" Bail's voice almost rose above the whisper he'd been using. It hurt Mara's ears.

"Dangerous people think like you, Bail," the woman answered. "And these people have found ships and guns; we need protections from these rebels."

Bail didn't answer and then Mara saw him walking away. Slipping back into the ballroom, she walked briskly, but dignified, hoping to reach the Emperor with her news as quickly as possible.

"Shall we kill him now?" she asked, rid of her blonde wig. Now she stood with her hands clasped at the base of her spine, feet shoulder-width apart and eyes forward. Her true, red hair, had been swept up into a bun underneath the wig and she had yet to release it.

Palpatine shook his head. "No, my young apprentice, we will wait. If Senator Organa is as displeased as he sounds, soon he will contact those who wish to overthrow me. Then we will have more of the traitors' names." He let his face crack into an attempted smile. "Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Yes, my master."

****

The part of him that had been Anakin Skywalker swelled up for a moment, issuing forth a burst of paternal pride. Mara's talent with a lightsabre, and in hand-to-hand combat, improved with every lesson. She connected with the Force more easily than he could remember doing at her age. She seemed brilliant.

"You make your parents proud," he offered her when she bowed after finishing her last form. The words had slipped out; for an instant, he hadn't believed he'd actually spoken them. But when her green eyes came up, and that red eyebrow raised, he knew the words had been uttered.

"You and Emperor Palpatine are all the parents I know," she stated, dipping her head again. "I was told not to ask about my _real_ parents," she reminded him. She could not help that the bitterness had slipped into her speech. And he admitted that she had a right to feel bitter.

Again, Anakin Skywalker flared up within him. He saw Mara as a mini-version of Keturah, and wondered what part of him was inside her. He wondered if he had merely been a catalyst for Mara's creation.

Darth Vader regained control. This young woman, really just a girl, was nothing more to him than an apprentice. Like he had once been Obi-Wan's apprentice, before the Jedi Knight had stolen everything from him. Like he would forever be Emperor Palpatine's apprentice.

"I wish to help defeat the rebels," Mara said, interrupting his sojourn into self-realization. "Let me take a ship, a squadron…"

If he could have, Vader would have laughed. Instead, the Sith Lord waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "There will be a time for your desire and vengeance, young Jade; let the Emperor and I decide when that time is." 

He paused, a brief flash of the future entering his mind. She had grown tall, beautiful and deadly. She stood next to a man with cropped blonde hair and willing blue eyes. A lightsabre passed from his hand to hers. Vader realized the lightsabre was Anakin Skywalker's.

Vader shook his head. "The Jedi virtue of patience comes to mind, Mara; wait until you can reap your true rewards." 


End file.
